Improved catalytic activity of cobalt core–platinum shell nanoparticles supported on surface functionalized graphene for methanol electro-oxidation

Poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) functionalized graphene supported bimetallic catalysts of shell platinum on core cobalt (Co@Pt/PDDA-G) are synthesized using a two-step procedure involving the microwave synthesis method and replacement method. TEM indicate that a uniform dispersion of Co@Pt nanoparticles on PDDA functionalized graphene have the average particle size of 1.9 nm. The composite is applied to electrocatalysis for methanol oxidation. And the electrochemical surface areas of the as-prepared Co@Pt/PDDA-G, Pt supported on PDDA-graphene (Pt/PDDA-G), Co@Pt supported on graphene (Co@Pt/G) are evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, which are calculated to be 105.6 m2 g−1Pt, 92.8 m2 g−1Pt, and 83.4 m2 g−1Pt, with respect to 37.8 m2 g−1Pt of commercial Pt/C (TKK) catalyst. The current being examined by chronoamperometry reach a constant at 23 mA mg−1 for Co@Pt/PDDA–G catalyst, which is roughly 3.3-fold higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. The electrochemical tests show that the activity and stability of Co@Pt supported on PDDA-G is highly better than the widely used Pt supported on PDDA-graphene sheets, also better than that of Co@Pt on unfunctional graphene with the same Pt content on the electrode. This improved activity could be attributed to not only the PDDA playing a crucial role in the dispersion and stabilization of Co@Pt on graphene, but also the high use ratio of Pt for its shell structure and the electronic effect of the underlying metal and Pt surface layer.